Networks: Structure, function and optimisation

Recent studies have shown that the structure and connectivity properties of networks have important consequences for their function and efficiency. It is therefore useful to ask whether these properties can be exploited to enhance the performance and efficiency of networks. We examine this question in two specific contexts, the load-bearing properties of a branching hierarchical network, and jamming and congestion in a two-dimensional communication network. We show that the capacity and performance of these networks can be enormously enhanced by judicious manipulation of connectivity properties. We discuss the relevance of these results to the general context of information spread processes on networks. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.